How to make softer, more natural lighting?
The reference image is a studio lit still life. There are two "Soft Boxes" camera left and a spot light on the background. Probably a black card camera right to prevent light from filling in the shadows. It appears a relatively long lens was used to compress the scene and emphasize the shallow depth of field. 

Here is how I recreated the scene in Blender with a camera focal length of 150mm.